Polish Ekstraklasa
Miejski Stadion Piłkarski Raków
I'll try to make this one quick. Czestochowa is the closest city with an Ekstraklasa team that I have not seen yet.
These are definitely the best times for Rakow. The team could never even dream of the success it has now. It was always just there in the lower divisions, then played a couple of years in the top flight and then dropped down to the 4th tier. Rakow has recently won their first ever trophies, winning the Polish cup and then the Supercup. And then they won them again in the consecutive season, also finishing runners-up in Ekstraklasa. They also played in Europe (kicking out rubin kazan) and this season they are by far the best team in Poland and are on track to become the champions. Oh, and apart from Rakow, the city of Czestochowa can also boast another team in the 2nd level of the Polish football - Skra Czestohowa.
However, the city is totally unprepared for the success of their team. Rakow was never a gig deal and their small stadium was always enough for the low lever they played. It deteriorated and they simply had to tear it down and play in a different city. That's one of the reasons why I never Rakow Finally they managed to construct a small temporary facility made of scaffolding and that's never a draw for a groundhopper.
Czestochowa is primarily famous for their Jasna Gora monastery and the Black Madonna icon that is kept inside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage sight so we could at least see something else. Other than that, the city is OK, I've seen worse but I've seen better.
The ground is really far for a city that's not too big. I took a long tram ride from the centre and it just seemed impossible to reach it on foot, It was a late evening game with 20:00 kickoff. The ground holds just over 5000 spectators, so I obviously bought a ticket online. Besides, when I was buying it, Wisla held the 2nd place so it seemed like a big 6-points game, however they lost a few points and dropped. But they still are a decent team that looked like to pose a threat.
I must admit I was wrong about the perceived blandness of the stadium. It is OK even if it's just scaffolding. It reminded me of the ground of Termalica. But the atmosphere is the most important thing inside the ground and it can make the whole experience worthy. I could sense the big game coming even when I was waiting at the train stop. The little fan store had lots of people inside but I still managed to get a pennant and a magnet. The stadium was full including the ultra section behind the goal and there was a decent travelling support from Plock. My seat was among the supposedly normal fans but they all had black fan-made ultras jackets so typical in Polish stadiums. Everybody around me was visibly excited and supported Rakow as much as they could.
This must have been one of the coolest games I have ever seen live. Rakow played a a flowing attacking game with lots of chances and goals. The Latvian striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis (nicknamed Gutagol) managed to score 4 in the first half. Wisla scored with the last strike of the first half. But the second half Rakow was in full control, scoring the fifth goal and never having any doubts about the outcome. As this was already late and the only way back was by a single tram, I had to leave several minutes before the end to catch it. Unfortunately, this meant I missed both goals by a Ukrainian midfielder and ex-Zorya Luhansk player Vladyslav Kochergin who scored at 89 and 92 minutes, making the final score 7-1. Anything can happen in football, especially after the winter break, but there is very little doubt that Rakow will become new champions of Poland.
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